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Show vji1 ' p R E F A c B. . the ftyle, the beauty of the defcriptions, the magnitude of the events, -or the weight of the opinions delivered in it; but from the diligence of my refearches, the integrity of my relation, and the fervice done to the 'learned, who are dcfirous of being made acquainted with .the hifi01y of Mexico. At the perfuafion of [orne perfuns of learning, I wrote ti1e Efiay on the Natural Hiftory of Mexico, contained in the fidl: book, which I had not before judged necefiary; ami it may, in the opinion of many, be confidered as foreign to the purpofe: but not to deviate from my fub-jeet, I have conneCted the account of naturnl productions with the ' general hiftory, by mentioning the ufe which the Mexicans made of them. On the other hand, to thofe who are attached to the fiudy of ·Natural Hiftory, this effay will appear, what in truth it is, too con- . ·fined and fuper.ficial; but to fatisfy the curious on that fubject, it .would be neceifary to write a work very different from that which I have undertaken. At the fame time, I· fhould have fpared myfelf a .great deal of troubh;, if I had not been obliged .to comply with the felicitations of my friends; as in writing that lketch of Natural , Hiftory, I found ·it neceffary to ftudy the works of Pliny, Diofcoric. Ls, Lae~, liernandez, Ulloa, Buffon, Bomare, and other natur~ lills; not c.ontent with what I had feen mvfelf, or the informa:. tion I had received from intelligent people to ~hom tl1ofe countries 'wt:rc well known. In this hill:ory, nothing has been more anxioufly fiudied than .fidelity; I might 'have abridged my labours, and, perhaps, rendered my v:ork more acceptable to many, if all the diligence which I ufcd tel inveftJgate f~~s, had b~en employed to {hew the relation with philofophical and pohtJcal rcflex10ns, or fiCl:i ns of capricious invention, after the example of many authors in this boafied age; but to me, as to thofc who are the Cwom enemies .of deceit, falfehood, or affectation, truth ap-oeal s a be.1 uty wh(')[c ch.,t· · · · r. · · ·r,. .. , , ·: ms Jll.CJCa11 m proportJon to her fimpli- t'?' ~f ~I cf: . l:l rccoltnttn •r t.h · events of the conquefl: made by the · ~.p:.uuard,, I have C<iually abthnd from th ... p:1negyric of Solis, or the p R .E F A c E. fnvett ivcs of Las Cafas (a) ; being unwilling either to flatter or calumniate my countrymen. I have left faCts in the fame degree of certainty, or probability, in which I found them; wherever 1 could not afcertain an event on account of the uif:lgreement among authors, as for example, the death of Montezuma, I. have faithfully reported their different opin ions, without having omitted, however, fuch additional conjeCtures as refl.exion on the fubjcct has fuggefl:ed . In {hart, I have always had before my eyes the two facred laws of hifl:ory; not to dare to fpcak what is falfc; nor to fear to (peak what is true: and I flatter myfelf I have violated neither. I do not doubt tht!re may ue read rs· too nice and refined to bc:u with the harfhncfs of fo many Mexican names as :ue fcattercd through this hifiory; but it is an evil which I hnve not be.: n able to remc.:dy, without hazard ing another defeCt lef:> tolerable, thou)l fufl ic i~ntly common in almofl: all the Europ ans who have written .on Am Tica, t:hat i~, the altering of names, for the purpofc of foftenin r them1 tmtil they are rendered unintelligible. Who would be cap. bl<.: of divining that De Solis fpeaks of ~auhn ahuac, when he L'lys .~tat!tJbac,t; of Huejotlipan, . where he fubfiitutes GualljJar; or of Cui tl ttl pi toe, whc.re he write Pilpatoc? I have therefore thought it mofl: iitfe to . imitate the example of thofc modern writers, who, whenever they introdu e into their works the names of pcrfons, places; or rivers, of any. parti Lllar country of Europe, write them in the language of its re . fpeCtive nation; and in the writings of theft.: :1uthors. there are name<; taken from. the German, and other tonguc.:s, fully harfhcr t the car, from the greater concourfe of rough oonfonants, than · any of the words I have Ill< de ufe of. I do not, however, rejeCt names that have u~en forlllerly altered, by which there is· no .danger of being dec ived, a they arc generally known. With reCpeCt to the geography of A)1ahuac, 1 have ufed every enrlcavour to render it correCt; availing myidf oft 1e knowledge which L (11) I do not mean to ch:trgc Solis with fl uttery, nnr Las af.t~ wirh c~ltlmny: all I 'win1 to l;t Llildcr llood is, that I I'<Jllld not adopt the fcntimc·JLtS of Sol is, who wa and,i tious of aggnmcli1. i11g his hero; nor of Las afi1 s, ,;·ho wa~ fir"d wi th pious zc;d in behalf of the Ind~tna, without accufin" myfclt of both, Vo.L. I. b gained . |